1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an input apparatus, and more particularly to an input apparatus which is suitable for easily inputting many operation items with a small number of keys when an audio-visual (AV) apparatus such as a television receiver and a video tape recorder is operated using a remote controller while a menu of operation items is displayed on a display screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional input apparatus. In the Figure, 1 designates input key pad including a menu key 11, a selection key 12 and a decision key 13, 2 designates a controller which receives input signals from the input key pad 1 to control a control object (not shown) and perform other controls relating to inputs, and 3 designates a display controller which receives from the controller 2 display contents for informing the operator of operation guidance and which performs the superimpose process or the like on the television screen to display the contents on a display device 4.
The operation of the thus configured input apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen which is displayed on the display device 4 for operating a video tape recorder (VTR) using the input apparatus of FIG. 1.
At first, in order to call a menu for showing the operator the items to be operated through the input key pad 1, the menu key 11 is pressed. Then, the controller 2 enters the selection input mode so that the menu screen shown in FIG. 2 is superimposed on the television screen of the display device 4 through the display controller 3. When the operator presses again the menu key 11 of the input key pad 1 under this state, the controller 2 controls the display controller 3 so as to halt the display of the menu screen on the display device 4. In this example, "TIMER RECORDING MENU" is displayed on the display device 4.
While judging whether the displayed menu screen includes an item to be operated, the operator operates the selection key 12 of the input key pad 1. Each time the selection key 12 is pressed, the controller 2 controls the display controller 3 so that other control items are sequentially displayed as a menu screen on the display device 4. As a result of several operations of the selection key 12, for example, "TIMER RECORDING MENU" shown in FIG. 2 is displayed In this example, "DAY OF RECORDING", "CHANNEL", "STARTING TIME", "ENDING TIME", etc. can be selected, and at first a cursor is positioned at the item of the day when the timer recording is to be done.
When the operator presses the decision key 13 under this state, the controller 2 judges that the timer recording reservation is to be done. Then, in order to input the day of timer recording which is the first item to be reserved, the controller 2 controls the display controller 3 so that a menu including items of "MON", . . . "SUN" as candidates is displayed on the display device 4. Each time the selection key 12 is pressed, the controller 2 controls the display controller 3 so that the cursor pointing to one of the items of "MON", . . . "SUN" is moved on the screen of the display device 4. Namely, the operator can select the desired day by pressing the selection key 12 to move the cursor on the menu screen. After the selection key 12 is pressed several times to move the cursor to the item of the desired day, for example, "MON", the decision key 13 is pressed to decide the reservation at that day. In order to reserve "CHANNEL", the controller 2 then controls the display controller 3 so that a screen for reserving the channel is displayed on the display device 4.
Similarly, the controller 2 controls the display controller 3 so that all the channels which can be selected are displayed in the screen for reserving the channel on the display device 4. The channel to be reserved is selected by operating the selection key 12 and the channel selection is decided by pressing the decision key 13.
In accordance with the key operations performed by the operator, then, other items such as the record starting time and the record ending time are selected and decided in a similar manner. Thereafter, the screen on the display device 4 returns to "TIMER RECORDING MENU". Under this state, displayed are the input contents relating to all the items which are required for the timer recording reservation, for example, "DAY OF RECORDING" is "MON", "CHANNEL" is "12 CH", "STARTING TIME" is "P.M. 10:15", and "ENDING TIME" is "P.M. 11:30".
When the operator presses the selection key 12 under this state, the controller 2 controls the display controller 3 so that a menu for selecting other items is displayed on the display device 4 to show the operator the operation of other items. When the decision key 13 is pressed, the menu for the operations of setting the timer for recording which starts from the reservation of the day of timer recording is again shown, and, when the menu key 11 is pressed, the menu is erased and the input operation is ended.
As described above, while viewing the display on the display device 4, the operator selects the required item using the selection key 12 and decides it by pressing the decision key 13, whereby the required item can be easily input.
In the above, an example of the operation procedure has been described. Alternatively, the required item may be input through the guidance of the menu screen by, for example, the following process: the menu screen is changed each time the menu key 11 is pressed, the selection items displayed in the menu screen are changed each time one of the selection items is selected using the selection key 12, and the input of the required item is decided by pressing the decision key 13. These processes may be set by programs built in the controller 2.
As described above, the conventional input apparatus is so constructed that the desired conditions are input by simultaneously performing the following operations: pressing the input key pad 1 including at least three keys, the menu key 11, selection key 12 and decision key 13; viewing the menu screen displayed on the display device 4 which is controlled by the controller 2 through the display controller 3; and selecting the required candidate. In the input operation, therefore, the operator must operate the input key pad 1 near at hand while viewing the menu screen on the display device 4. This introduces problems that the input operation is complicated and requires a prolonged time period, and that there is the considerable possibility of input errors.